Friday, July 30, 2010

So a new project with The Alchemist and Oh No (Gangrene) is taking place. Gutter Water is what they are working on , both sharing vocal and production duties with Raekwon, Evidence, Roc C, MED, Twins Gambino, Planet Asia and Fashawn featuring. Sounds like a good release in the works. Off the record - Chain Swinging '

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Samiyam is bringing his crate full of intrumental Hip-Hop beats and Jazz / Soul influenced sounds to New Zealand and Australian shores very shortly. The producer , beatmaker and collaborator behind Rap Beats Vol. 1 (Brainfeeder) , Return (Hyperdub) Man VS Machine (Poo-Bah) and FlyamSam is scheduled in for a show in Sydney on the 16th of September.

Brought to you by Space is the Place , it will be a Thursday night filled with instrumental Hip-Hop sounds and futuristic undertones.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

The weekend just gone was pretty sweet. Flying to Melbourne to see Ras G on Saturday night at the Roxanne Parlour and catching him on the Sunday at a secret show at Miss Libertine. The trip was well worth it , hadn't been to Melbourne in a while. Will be back shortly for sure. As for Ras G , well he is certanily a Brother from another planet,watching him work through his set was a real treat. It all works incredibly well , one talented Brainfeeder cat.

Below is footage taken from his show on the Sunday at Miss Libertine - Beer in one hand , camera in the other. Not sure how good the vision is but you get a sense of how awesome it was - Airhorn!!

Thursday, July 22, 2010

In anticipation of Exiles “AM/FM” release due end of next month on Plug Research , his 'Radio' album has been remixed by a whole host of producers including Teebs , Dibia$e , DJ Rhettmatic , Marco Polo and Kan Kick. The “AM/FM” record looks huge with Blu , Free The Robots , Samiyam and loads more featuring. Please support that release , in the meantime the Radio remix projected can be downloaded for free via http://thedirtyscience.bandcamp.com/

So its Thursday and I am very much looking forward to this weekend coming up. Scuba tomorrow night at the Civic Underground with Mark Pritchard / Monk Fly and Jonny Faith in support. Then a 7am flight to Melbourne to see Scuba again along with Total Eclipse / Logistics and the one I've been waiting to see "Ras G". Should be hectic. Will post up photos from the Melbourne night when I get back!

Stones Throw just unveiled a brand new podcast featuring Dublab and Low End Theory favourite Kutmah - the L.A DJ called California home up until recently when his home was raided and he was deported to his residency of Manchester in the U.K

Very stoked today as Brainfeeder gave love to my Ras G interview that you may of read a few weeks back. It was up on their Twitter / Facebook this morning our time. Good timing with his arrival this week for his three shows. Big Ups to Brainfeeder.

So I have been dropping a few tracks recently from Tokimonsta off the Various Assets compilation via RBMA. Well overnight the whole compilation was delivered around cyberspace for your enjoyment free of charge. Hudson Mohawke , James Pants , Oddisee , Dam-Funk , Lunice and ofcourse Tokimonsta appear prominently on this 22 track release.

So I just stumbled upon this compilation of diverse tracks and sounds each evoking their own music sentiment. Dimlite , Paul White , Bilal feature as do other other artists from Plug Research , Ubiquity , Now Again and Tru Thoughts records.

Dizz1 from right here in Sydney has been making beats since an early age and has never looked back. In 2008 he was invited to the Red Bull Music Academy and the next year featured on Jay Scarletts Beat Dimensions Vol. 2 with his track Konotakosuke Yaro. He has played to packed venues accross the country and overseas supporting the likes of Benga , Dorian Concept , DJ Kentaro , Dexter , Emalkay , Mystro and many other big names.

In the last year he released his EP '3rd time lucky' on Kindred Spirits and recently returned from a European / UK tour which included Sonar festival in Spain. If you have ever seen Dizz1 live , you would know he is a beast on Ableton live. I first saw him at Hermans Bar for the Dorian Concept show and I've been a fan since. He is busy working on his record and other big things , so it was with much pleasure that I was able to ask him about all this and much more.

You have recently returned home after being overseas for a period of time , where you played at the Sonar music festival in Spain , how was that whole experience?

Yeah it was a real honor to be able to play there and I loved every minute of it! Sonar is one of the few festivals I've been to that still maintains a real forward thinking approach to the acts and installations that they book and it seems the focus wasn't completely on obvious headliners which was a nice change cause I got to check loads of artists I otherwise never would have seen before!

Locally you have had quite a good run of shows this year , from supporting DJ Kentaro at The Forum to recently playing alongside DJ Dexter, what has been the a highlight among them all?

Yeah that Kentaro gig was definitely the highlight in Australia this year! Mad up vibes and great turn out!

How would you describe the style of music that you make to someone who hasn't listened to you before?

I guess its hip hop with a bunch of influences from UK and Jamaican bass music.

You recently worked with Sydney MC Tongue on his next release , can you tell us the sound that came out of that?

Yeah I had a real blast working with The Tongue. He's a super cool fella and knows what he is looking for.I just played him a load of my beats and he chose 2 of them and then we mixed them up at Gusto from Hermitude's studio in the Blue Mountains which was a real treat! Pretty much your standard Dizz1 type bizz.One of them features Gift Of Gab too.

How important do you think making connections in the industry is?

I guess it depends what you are trying to do but as "they" say, its not "what" you know...

How was it working with Omas Keith of Sa-Ra Creative Partners fame for the track 'We go ridin'?

Man is a creative genius, super funny and passionate person and above all that, a gentleman. Real pleasure to work with, I loved every minute of it!

Who Influences you in terms of music , who do you look up to?

I'm lucky to have been surrounded by musical people all my life so the list would be too long to even bother skimming through! As far as producers I've met and worked with go, Id have to say, Mark Pritchard, Steve Spacek and Stereotyp to be up there. Also my boy DJ Dexter, Jase (Beathedz) and my homey Leigh Brzeski (Interakt/Kreatures) for their constant vision!

What shows do you have coming up?

Playing in Melbs with Ramadanman in August. Also got quite a few supports coming up but I cant say shit cause they havent been announced yet and Ill probably get my fingers broken if I do : )

Is there any MC'S that you would like to work with in the future?

Yeah loads. A lot of my favorite Mc's from the 90's. All in good time.

For the DJ Kentaro show at the Forum , you had a visual display which worked very well , is that where you would like to take your shows in the future?

Yeah big ups to Spook! We got big plans!

Whats projects are you working on at the moment?

Im putting the finishing touches to a remix for Dibiase as I type this. Also doing some beats for a few Mc's from here and abroad. My album is top priority right now though, taking ages to get all the vocals back from the MC's so I guess I just gotta play the waiting game and work on the instro stuff till then! Bloody Mc's... lol

Im also teaching Ableton Live up at Live School in Kings Cross (Sydney) so if you want to learn anything to do with making music, give me a shout!

Warp records just released this amazing new cinematic Flying Lotus clip for 'MmmHmm' off his stellar release of this year Cosmogramma. Everyone has been raving about this today...have a watch for yourself.

Coming via stonesthrow.com is a new tune from Dam-Funk featuring West Coast legend MC Eiht who is remembered as being a member of the group 'Comptons most wanted'. The track comes off a new 12 inch EP of the same name dropping this summer.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

The first lady on Brainfeeder 'Tokimonsta' has teamed up with Lunice and German producer Swede:art to create a fresh tune for the Various Assets compilation due to drop soon via RBMA. The collaborative effort , titled "Alpenglow" involves Lunice's cruchy beats , Swede:art's soulful tip as well as Toki's signature spaced out bass rhythms. The Various Assets release will also feature James Pants , Dam-Funk and Hudson Mohawke. Out July 19th.

Paul Rose (Scuba) is the founder of London based Hot Flush recordings. Since its inception in 2003 , it has been responsible in delivering some of the biggest names in Dubstep to date. Boxcutter , Joy Orbison , Mount Kimbie , Sepaclure and many more. Scuba has also been putting out his own music with his debut album 'A Mutual Antipathy' dropping in 2008.

This year he released his 'Triangulation' record to much acclaim within the Dubstep spectrum. Scuba hits Australia very soon for the very first time , with his Sydney show pencilled in for the Civic Underground on the 23rd July.

How do you view Dubstep these days as a genre to how it was when you developed Hot Flush Recordings in 2003?

When we started the label I didn’t want it to be a dubstep label. I still don’t. Being part of it becoming a big thing has been interesting, but the result of something becoming ubiquitous is its homogenisation. In 2005 for example, there were endless sides to the Dubstep sound and now a large percentage of the people who describe themselves as Dubstep fans think it’s one thing only. That’s obviously disappointing but I’ve always been about moving things around stylistically both in production and djing so in fact it doesn’t bother me that much. If people are that unimaginative it’s their problem.

You have unearthed some of the most respected talent to date and brought forward releases from artists that have become sought after in electronic music , what is the strategy behind capturing the next potential breakthrough artist?

There is no strategy past keeping an open mind when listening to the music you get sent and what you hear other people playing. You’re not necessarily going to hear the track you release on the demo, the potential can be just as important.

2006 is when a lot of people feel Hot Flush recordings broke through and marked themselves in the electronic landscape , before then was it all about persistence and knowing you would have to keep pushing the boundaries to capture the interest in dubstep and deep soundscapes of electronic music?

It was about persistence yes, but really I had no choice because there wasn’t anything else I wanted to do with my life.

How much influence did the relocation to Berlin in 2007 have on your debut record?

Not a lot because I wrote most of it immediately after arriving, without having got to know the city at all. It’s probably there more on the second album but to be honest I’ve always been influenced by things that people would perceive to be “Berlin” anyway, like techno and (proper) electro, so it’s hard to say how much difference the move actually made.

Joy Orbisons track of last year 'Hyph Mngo' is revered among many, is it only when the people in the clubs are feeling one of your tracks that you know you have a potential favourite?

Ironically enough, whenever I played Hyph Mngo out before it got really well known it didn’t go down particularly well! So no, obviously it’s good when something works in a club but it doesn’t necessarily have to.

Who in your opinion is breaking barriers and moving forward in dubstep?

Most of what Loefah is putting out on his Swamp 81 label is on the money at the moment.

What is next in terms of Hot Flush releases?

Next up is the Mount Kimbie album. Then there’s more stuff coming this year from George Fitzgerald, Sepalcure, Sigha, remixes of tracks from Triangulation and maybe some new Joy Orbison.

As you are originally from London , how did you view the recent news regarding the iconic forward thinking nightclub 'Fabric' going into Administration?

The London club scene has been terrible for over 10 years now in all honesty.

What is the biggest achievement to date in your opinion that you have managed to make happen with Hot Flush Recordings?

I think just the label being where it is now, having started from zero, with no money and knowing nothing at all about the industry is achievement enough to be honest.

You will playing a number of shows throughout New Zealand and Australia very soon , what can we expect to hear during your sets?

Teebs , who resides out of Southern California , is an accomplished Skater , Painter and also ofcourse a respected beat maker on the Brainfeeder label. Inspired by trips to the Low End Theory , he is now working with the producers that he heard down at the Iconic L.A club.

With an EP already released this year with UK producer Jackhigh and another release set very shortly on Brainfeeder , Teebs is a busy man. So I was lucky to achieve some time with him to discuss everything that is happening right now!

Teebs , thankyou very much for allowing me to ask you some things , from all the way over in Sydney , Australia , whats happening with you today?of course...today im working on some art for the upcoming hawaii showing in august with the sound&space people...also trying to finish a remix for a friend and then head out to a birthday party for one of the dublab guys.

Skating , Painting and ofcourse making music , how do you fit everything in??

i think i would fall apart if i didnt.

Your artwork pieces are amazing , where do you draw inspiration from?

From almost anything really...right now I would say the weather.

How did it feel to be included on Mary Anne Hobbs's record Wild Angels? You must of been humbled to get that recognition.

Yeah definitely humbled. When I got the record in the mail and put the needle down I couldnt believe my music was playing back at me. A bit unreal.

Who do you look up to in the world of electronic music?

hmm...a lot of my friends. Daedelus still killlllllllsssssss meee.

How important do you feel Dublab is as a creative source for artists in L.A?

It would be on my top 2 list for sure. It's the center hub.

Your sound is a little different to others , what software do you use to create the tunes?

Fruity Loops.

I find the story about how you were inspired by the Low End Theory to get into Electronic music is a little like mine . A lot of nights over here that showcase this particular music have inspired me to get into it more heavily . How much of this time for you do you think drove you to where you are today?

Low End is still in my radar for inspiration so its still going onnn

Your name Mtendere means 'Peace' , is that the feeling you would your listeners to get out of your music?

Hmm it would be nice but I dont have any particular feeling I want the listener to get. Its all up to them. I do get that feeling myself though after I get tunes finished

Your Ardour release on Brainfeeder is not too far away , how is that coming along?

Really great...I have this giant to do list for the album and looking at it now the list is almost blank. Crazy to think that it will be completely out of my hands soon.

Friday, July 9, 2010

Jamall Bufford , better known as 'Buff1' is an MC out of Ann Arbor Michigan. He began making music with the Athletic Mic League whose members include DJ Haircut , more widely known around the world as Mayer Hawthorne. In 2006 , Buff went solo and released his mixtape 'Small city , big name' following that up with his critically acclaimed debut 'Pure' which featured Elzhi , Guilty Simpson , Invincible and One Be Lo.

In 2008 , he released his second record 'There's only one' with production duties handled by the Lab Techs , 14KT as well as Black Milk who also featured on the track 'Never Fall'.

In 2009 , Buff released 'It's a 1derful Life' mixtape which covered his guest spots , exclusive tracks and other tracks that hadn't been heard before. Forward to 2010 and Buff1 is working on his next release , a collaborative effort with DJ Rhettmatic titled 'Crown Royale'.

Buff1 has been receiving respect and recognition for his hard work within the Hip-Hop spectrum. If you haven't heard any of his work , then I would reccomend you do so.

Here is an interview I did recently with Buff1. Good read!

Whats good Buff? Whats happening today?

Life is good. Today I just witnessed the person responsible for Oscar Grant's death get a 2-4 year sentence and I witnessed LeBron James leave the Cleveland Cavs for the Miami Heat.

How is the collaborative effort 'Crown Royale' with DJ Rhettmatic coming along? A solid line-up of MC'S are appearing on the release.

Crown Royale is done and ready go, just working out the logistics. We got some potent guests on it, but we're gonna keep it a secret a little longer.

I also hear that their may be a record from the Athletic Mic League this year also. Could you shed any light on that for us?

I'm not sure we'll see an AML album this year but we will begin working SERIOUSLY this year. We've started on ideas and things but we're gonna really get the ball rolling this year.

Did you always have aspirations to go solo when you were making music with the AML?

Naw I didnt always have solo aspirations. The thought crossed my mind back in the day as to what it would be like but I wouldnt call it aspirations.

What are your views on the recent Slum Village announcement that T3 and Elzhi have decided to go their seperate ways?

It sucks but things happen and all good things come to an end. They've had a good long run and they've had their share of line-up changes as we know. They're both my homies so I wish them nothing but the best.

As a keen observer of Hip-Hop from Detroit and surrounding areas , it seems it differentiates itself well from anything coming out of New York or L.A , with its raw honesty and flow. What would be your assessment of the music coming out of the area?

I think there's raw honesty coming out of all the places you mentioned but I guess it can be said that it's more prevalent here maybe. I think the main thing that separates MI from other places is not being afraid search for different sounds for influences while remaining very aggressive non-apologetic. There's a lot of new sounds in hip-hop but its not always aggressive and it can sometimes be construed as "soft" or "emo" or "weird" even. I think hip-hop can be anything it wants to be if done well, but I think MI does the best job of trying new sounds without compromising the aggression that so many people love about hip-hop.

I see you recently did a tour of Europe , including shows with People Under The Stairs. How did that all go? Any shows coming up?

We actually didnt perform with PUTS, that show got canceled at the last minute. The tour was great though. We did a show with Bahamadia, Kev Brown & and LMNO and another show with Evidence and Babu. Those were dope as well. We also performed with my brother Mayer Hawthorne in Munich, that was crazy. This was my 3rd time in Europe and my first time with Rhett and it was by far the best trip over there.

I watched a video of you doing a cypher at SXSW. How was the whole festival experience?

SXSW is always fun. This was my third time there. It's cool, I like it, I just gotta figure out if there are other/new ways to capitalize off of it or if it is what it is at this point. I'm sure me and my A-Side Worldwide team will figure something out.

Are their any producers , MC'S that you would like to work with in the future?

It's been a while since you came over to Australia , any plans to tour here in the future?

I'm working on Australia dates as we speak, stay tuned.

Do you still have the T-shirt? haha

You know, I do not. I travel so much between LA and MI and I get so much free gear (not complaining or bragging, just stating the facts, haha) that I gotta give stuff away sometimes. It made it through a couple rotations but then I had to retire it to the Salvation Army, haha.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Coming straight out of California , Teebs has been making his mark on the electronic scene via Brainfeeder and Dublab. The accomplised painter and beatmaker released his Tropics EP in April where he also produced the artwork for the cover.

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Black Milk's record 'Album of the year' was due to be released this month but has been pushed back to September 14th.His tour for Australia with Guilty Simpson has been postponed because of the delayed release date. He is now rumoured to be here in December.

So the next installment of Headroom takes place on the 16th of this month down at 202 in Broadway. The night where you can guarantee yourself hearing your favourite beats from residents Monk Fly and Jonny Faith.

Special guests this time are Know-U from Sydney whose creative talents lie in Dubstep , Drum & Bass and Jungle. Suburban Dark are also playing Headroom again. Their influences are diverse , with their own sound delivering space driven beats and minimal excellence.

Rounding out the line-up is Elliot , who you may of heard on Monk Fly's Future Face program recently. He hails from the Blue Mountains , and will be on the experimental beat tip.

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Shlohmo out of L.A released his record 'Shlomoshun Deluxe' earlier this year - he also just put out an EP titled 'Camping' which features a remix from fellow L.A resident "Baths" of the track 'Post Atmosphere'. Very Piano driven with bass melodies.

Friday, July 2, 2010

Residing out of Bakersfield California , Charles E. Dickerson , better know as Mono/poly is an electronic musician who recently released his dark record 'Paramatma' through Tasteful Licks. Mono/Poly who rolls with the Brainfeeder and Low End Theory crew lets his listeners delve into the every day conspiracy of war and government with his wonky , dubstep , dancehall and Hip-Hop sounds. This could turn out to be one of the most defining records of electronic music to come out L.A , for me it will go down as one of the most outstanding records of 2010.

Mono/Poly - Charles E. Dickerson , its an honour to interview you , what have you been up to today?

Hello, nothing much just coming up with ideas for the next releases.

Life has definately moved up a gear since the days of studying computer engineering , you must be proud of how its all developed to this day?

Sure, Im definitely proud of what Im doing now.

What is the message that you would like listeners to take away with them after listening to your new release Paramatma?

Transformation... We all need to move to the next level of life. We aren't civilized yet until we stop these wars and come together as a human race. Money needs to end and we have to come together and push toward freeing individuals to their highest potential.

The term 'monopoly' means 'a specific individual or an enterprise having sufficient control over a particular product or service to determine significantly the terms on which other individuals shall have access to it' , I guess this outlines quite clearly the record coming out via U.S.B and the way in which listeners were able to play it. Was this the theory behind releasing it via U.S.B?

No, it just how Tastefullicks and other labels have been doing new releases. Also my name has nothing to do with that type of monopoly thats why my alias is Mono/Poly. Paramatma is actually the way in which you fully understand the name Mono/Poly (The individuated you in your physical body and the all that is you which is source, or god.) At first I actually liked people pronouncing my name in speech as monopoly but now I hate it because then people can get the wrong idea for what its about. Id rather people pronounce the Mono and Poly separately now.

Beatles Bitch would have to be one of my favourite tracks of the past year, what is the creative process you undertake to create new material?

I do a great amount of sound designing from drums to synths and outside sources and after that I just arrange and create what I feel.

Like nearly all records these days, Paramatma was sadly leaked online before its release date , and you came out publicly with something to say regarding this. After putting in work for more than a year on the album, how dissapointing was it that this happened? (I am happy to say that I purchased it via itunes)

I actually wasn't too disappointed because I of course knew it was going to happen. Also either way its good that people get to pass it on since it's meant to awaken people but to me its like why not buy the record? It's quality and enlightening material and it's done in such a original way. Tastefullicks even created an excellent USB full of bonus material on top of that.

Do you see a lot of other albums released like this in the future?

Yeah, more people are already using the usb format.

Since Flying Lotus captured everyones attention a few years ago, it seems L.A has really exploded globally in terms of the future beats scene , Gaslamp Killer , Samiyam , Ras G and yourself have shown the world what Los Angeles is made of. How much of an influence do you think Steven Ellison has had on all of you?

I can't speak for anyone else but to me personally he was a big catalyst for me to keep pushing my creations even more into the next level. I really dig what Steven is doing.

What are you working on at the moment? I hear you have an E.P coming out later this year on Brainfeeder?

Yes the Brainfeeder EP is done but it's the art work that needs to be finished.

Where do you see yourself in the next few years? Where would you like to take the sound that you are creating?

Im always learning new things from all over the place and doing something new so who knows where ill be in the next few years. Though I would like to see more of my music accompanied with visuals in the future.

Some sad news this week with the revelations that T3 and Elzhi of Slum Village have decided to go their seperate ways. The next release from them will be the last. 'Villa Manifesto' is due this month and it will mark the end of one of Detroit's iconic Hip-Hop groups. T3 broke the news over Twitter this week "One more thing... this is the last Slum Village album" , with Elzhi replying with "Not sure what's going on ... I hope Slum Village's label and T3's manager respect what I do for SV. Either way I appreciate yall support.".This news comes a year after former member Baatin passed away and four years since J Dilla died.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

The next instalment in the Madlib Medicine show is expected to be released at the end of this month. Titled 'High Jazz' , with all new Jazz material from Madlib the bad kid. Track 9 off the release 'Funky Butt' features a rare collaboration with Karriem Riggins and James Poyser. Cop it and get funky with your butt!